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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Letter from the president - January 2015

The year 2014 will be remembered for the great number of good news received, fruit of the hard work carried out in previous months and years. We have managed for the first time in the history of this country to achieve a specific legislation for recreational yachting, to get the nautical qualifications adapted to the current reality and better harmonized with our neighboring countries, to get the lighthouse tax (T0) limited so that the weekend visitors don´t need to pay for a whole month, to have a Palma Boat Show that exceeded all expectations, to get the matriculation tax eliminated from all the charter yachts... These victories highlight the hard work carried out by us, both at the national level together with the board of ANEN, as well as regionally by ourselves. Just as important is the daily work we carry out within CAEB and the Chamber of Commerce, not forgetting the regular meetings with the policy makers. In absolute numbers, this year we have assisted in 112 meetings and events up until the end of November.

All this would not have been possible without the innumerable hours of work and resources invested in it by the association. Therefore you, through the membership fees you pay, are an integral part of all these achievements.

At AENIB we firmly believe that we are on the treshold of a new period of prosperity in the whole sector, prosperity where you contribute with your daily toil to push your business forward. Thanks to you, our association has had the necessary weight to make your and the rest of the nautical empresarios´voice heard at all levels of the Public Administration, to convince them how important it is to have legislation and fiscal policies adapted to our reality. This is our objective, this is what you have given your mandate to us for, and we are not planning to disappoint you. Together with ANEN, who are our strongest allies in Madrid, we are going to work to make this country and these islands a first-class nautical powerhouse.

2014 goes with a bang, leaving us with a challenge to reach a bit higher next year. We happily accept the challenge and will fight harder than ever for the wellbeing of your companies. Even more so as it is the election year with both the general and municipal elections coming. Already a few months ago we started a series of meetings with the main political parties of our islands, informing them of your needs and suggestions. AENIB is an important lobbying force, fighting to tumble the walls of ignorance that stand between the legislators and our day-to-day reality. This ignorance hampers our growth and prevents many locals and visitors alike to enjoy our seas. We point out to the politicians that we are not trying to get subventions or any other handouts, we simply want to compete in equal conditions to our neighboring countries. Once we achieve that, we will leave our rivals far behind.